West German Pat. No. 874,561 shows support means for a universal joint which acts axially from the outside on the bottom section of each bearing bushing which is in the form of a leaf spring inserted in a ring-shaped groove in the eye of the fork. This arrangement has certain disadvantages and drawbacks. For example, it has been found that during application of sudden axial loads which occur during operation, the hard, thin-walled leaf springs dig into or penetrate the ring-shaped groove of the relatively soft fork eye material and thus tend to loosen. Thus, the reliable securing of each bearing bushing axially in its associated fork eye can no longer be guaranteed. Furthermore, it is noted that production of this type of known universal joints is expensive by reason of the fact that it is necessary to form a ring-shaped groove into each fork eye for holding the leaf spring. This groove must be machined in a precision manner both as to position and shape. Additionally, the assembly of these known-type universal joints is relatively complicated by reason of the fact that the universal joint needs to be attached by screws to the associated fork arm in such a way that the ring-shaped groove section in the recess of the fork eye is in precise alignment with the ring-shaped groove section of the cover plate.